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Ayeh’sdesk: Mahama’s Massive Road Infrastructure; Where is UE Regions Share?

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The heat of the election period has turned up and political parties are making promises and touting their achievements in order to get the masses solidly behind them.

Track records seem to be the driving force in this year’s election. Whiles New Patriotic Party is asking the electorates to cast their minds back to their reign; the National Democratic Congress keeps reminding Ghanaians of the massive infrastructural development undertaken by their flag bearer . John Dramani Mahama has on several campaign platforms been described as second to Nkrumah in terms of development.

One of such achievements touted by the incumbent government is the massive investments in roads. The President during his visit to the Paramount Chief of Yeji who doubles as President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of chiefs indicated that “My government has done the most massive investment in the road sector in the history of Ghana. Over the last four years, we have invested GHS 3 BILLION in the road sector across the country. That is, from the North to the Volta Region to Axim in the Western Region, feeder roads are being transformed while bigger roads in the cities are being asphalted to make them last.”

MOTORISTS STRUGGLING FOR SPACE ON BOLGATANGA-ZUARUNGU ROAD
MOTORISTS STRUGGLING FOR SPACE ON BOLGATANGA-ZUARUNGU ROAD

Regardless of the massive investment in roads, Upper East Region is left out of the smiles put on the faces of residents in other parts of the country. Upper East Region cannot boast of what I will describe as a first class road in any part of the region.

Roads in the regional capital Bolgatanga, is below the status of the capital. Although the President, during one of his visits to the region promised that “we are doing a project called ‘Regional Capitals Roads Improvement’ and it’s going to affect all ten regional capitals in the country and Bolga is going to to be included as capital of Upper East. We are going to select several roads and so far I know about 10 kilometers. We will look at which other roads need to be upgraded. So very soon you will see a facelift of the region.”

However, the sad story is that nothing apart from the frequent improper patching of the roads in the regional capital is the only thing always seen done. These improper patching of the road leaves it bumpy and riddled with chippings of stones scattered on the road. It is heartbreaking to note that these potholes that get repaired almost every four weeks quickly reappear with vigor after a heavy downpour.

The story is not different when it comes to the Bolgatanga to Zuarungu road. The poor state of the road compels users, especially drivers to service their cars on daily basis. Potholes on this road have developed into pits making it difficult for use by drivers and riders. It was sad to see a Benz Bus getting stuck in one of the ‘manholes’ and had to make passengers get off the bus before it could go out of the hole.

Same can be said about the Zuarungu-Bawku road which is a death trap. Although President Mahama cut sod for the start of work on this road during his ‘Accounting to the People tour’ in the region, work has since ceased, although sources say contractors for the job have pitched camp in the region and are recruiting indigents to get work started, leaving residents with no choice but to eat and inhale the dust emanating from the road.  Sadly enough, this stretch has a chunk of Members of Parliament being Ministers whiles some have been Ministers in the past but seem not to have their people at heart.

Bolgatanga Township Roads In A State Of Risk
Bolgatanga Township Roads In A State Of Risk

Some portion of the Bongo road has been tarred with the hope of getting the road constructed in its fullest. However, roads connecting the Bongo town to its peripherals are an eye saw. Apart from ‘manholes’ dug on the roads, they become difficult to ply when there are rains. Residents in these peripherals are mostly cut off from town when the rains are heavy, affecting their livelihood which is mostly subsistence farming.

A journey from Navrongo to Sandema can be likened to a tour through the walls of hell considering how deplorable the road here is. Potholes have characterized various sections of the road that the least mistake a driver makes will end himself and his passenger in an emergency ward of the nearest hospital whiles those that have the coal tar scarified, leave residents with the pain of inhaling dust day and night.

Although this road has been given on contract, residents are pessimistic about its completion and one resident expresses his pessimism in the following words: “I think the timing of the awarding of the contract is wrong, the timing is very bad. Why some few months to elections? I mean why do you take us serious when it is getting to elections? This road has been lying here for God knows how many years and we have to wait until it is an election year in July and it is awarded.”

Clearly, this resident of Sandema is upset with his leaders over the years and thinks they have just been taken for a ride for a very long time.

With the road from Sandema to Fumbisi, the least said about it the better. The surface of this road has been scraped but is not motorable when the rains fall. Trucks get stuck, drivers face difficulty in moving on this road. Users of this road resort to prayers for sunshine in order to get at least a hard surface to be able to move their wares and also connect to other places.

As I scribble this piece, an NDC communicator called Ibrahim is touting achievement of his government with regards to roads in the region and that saddens the heart of many who think that the region has been shortchanged with regards to infrastructural development.

The President may be right to say he has built roads more than any other Ghanaian President. The big question however is, where are the “massive road infrastructure in the upper east region?”

 

By: Offei-Akoto Ayeh/A1RADIOONLINE.COM/GHANA


 

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